Sunday, September 20, 2009

Chelsea Hotel, NYCMany souls have checked in but never checked out of this landmark hotel in the Big Apple. Dylan Thomas, Eugene O'Neill and Thomas Wolfe have all been spotted as apparitions here. In the elevator the ghost of Sid Vicious (the Sex Pistols lead bassist, who died of a heroin overdose) is reported to appear there from time to time.

At Greenwich Village’s restaurant, One if by Land, Two if by Sea, the ghosts are not limited to the bar area. This former carriage house was once owned and operated by Vice President Aaron Burr. He and his daughter, Theodosia (who was supposedly kidnapped by pirates and forced to walk the plank), haunt patrons and staff; one maitre d’ quit after being shoved up and down the stairs every night by invisible hands, and numerous women claim to have had their earrings pulled off by Theodosia while sitting at the bar.

Morris-Jumel Mansion Built in 1765, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, located at 175 Jumel Terrace in Washington Heights, is the oldest house in Manhattan.Eliza and Stephen Jumel took control of the house in 1810. Their marriage was quite tumultuous, as Eliza was supposedly having an affair with former Vice President Aaron Burr. (Perhaps in the upstairs rooms of One if By Land, Two if By Sea?) In 1832, Stephen died as he "mysteriously" fell on a pitchfork. Without wasting any time, Eliza married Aaron Burr. Eliza and Burr divorced three years later and Burr died not long after. Eliza's mental state deteriorated; she became a recluse, and she was a frightening sight to behold, with false teeth, unkempt hair, soiled clothing, and ungainly large feet. Finally, dementia took her and her babbling drove away even the staunchest relative."After her death,Eliza was allegedly seen wandering about the property in a white dress, producing spine-tingling noises. When a psychic went to the mansion and purportedly summoned the spirit of Stephen Jumel, the spirit said that he was murdered and buried alive.The City of New York took control of the museum in 1904, and tours have been fraught with ghost sightings ever since. A famous sighting occurred in 1964 when Eliza, wearing a violet dress, supposedly appeared to some schoolchildren and yelled at them to "shut up!"

Palace TheaterThe Palace Theater was the center of the vaudeville universe in the early 20th century, attracting acts from across the country; today, it hosts Broadway's best and brightest. The Theater is said to be home to at least 100 ghosts, including that of Judy Garland, who once performed there. Acrobat Louis Borsalino fell to his death during a performance at the Palace. But maybe you don't want to catch a glimpse of his ghost; those who do are rumored to die shortly thereafter.St. Paul’s ChapelGeorge Frederick Cooke, a prolific British actor who died of alcoholism in 1812, was buried on the grounds of St. Paul's Chapel. Not so wierd unless you consider that he was buried without a head. Cooke donated his skull to science to pay medical bills though it supposedly made its way into a stage production of Hamlet. Cooke was laid to rest sans cranium and, according to legend, haunts the chapel and churchyard in search of his head.

Texas is a huge state and there is a lot of history there. Over the years there have been many stories about ghosts being seen,places being haunted, and odd lights and sounds where they shouldn't be. If you believe in ghosts or spirits you may have experienced or seen what you believe to be of a paranormal nature. You were probably alone so getting others to believe you may have been frustrating, leaving you doubting what actually had occured. However,there are many places that have more than one unusual event witnessed by several over a period of years and decades that cannot be dismissed as hoax or hysteria. It would take an entire book to cover them all and the legends behind them, so this is a look at some of the most well known hauntings in the Lone Star State.

- At the Alamo in San Antonio many visitors have reported seeing various shadows and visions as well as voices, shouting where no one was and cold air in some of the spots inside. Close to 200 Texas fighters and many Mexicans died here.There are other places around San Antonio as well that creepy things have occurred.

- San Antonio's Bexar Juvenile Hall has had many reports by officers and juvenile inmates alike of smells such as wood burning and smoke. Faces peering into the windows at night and kids waking up at night screaming of indians in thier dorm. Part of the place was built atop an old indian tribal burial ground.

- The old Cadillac Bar in San Antonio is said to be inhabited by a malovent spirit. Supposedly, a woman named "bea" that used to work there long ago.She is said to toss kitchen objects across the room and turn on water faucets. She and the ghost of a previous owner have been spotted many times by employees.

- In Wichita Falls there is an abandoned Mental Asylum. It has been vacant forover 30 years yet water can be heard dripping downstairs, yet there has been no water service there for a long time. Ghostbusters that stayed there in the early nineties heard footsteps,and machines running late at night as well as voices in the walls.

Granbury,Texas Courthouse Square is reportedly haunted in many places. On occasion a figure of a man can be seen hanging from the clocktower. In the trees behind the old jail bodies were seen hanging by 3 different visitors on separate occasions. Horses can be heard in a nearby park and confederate soldiers walking around late at night.....John wilkes-Booth reportedly faked his death and resurfaced here as John St. Helens, a tavernkeeper.

- At Randolph Air Force Base,a pilot crashed his plane many years ago. Lights can be seen at a watertower along with voices being heard and apparitions seen in one of the buildings.

- On the Thompson Bridge in San Marcos a civil war confederate soldier has been spotted patrolling the bridge he guarded in the 1800's.

- In Victoria,Texas there is a grove of oak trees that have been the site of many apparitions.A popular picnic spot, Suttons Mott was named for a sheep herder that lived there in the mid 1800's. He was murdered at a nearby church and people have reported seeing bodies hanging from the trees, as well as loud whispering after dusk.

InLipan, Texasthere have been many reports over the years of ghosts and orbs off Starr Hollow road on WD ranch road. There have been sightings of indian spirits at Robinson creek there also.

- In Edgewood near Van Zant there is a woman that has been picked up along the road by travelers. She gets out at a long ago deserted house,she goes in but no lights ever go on.

-In Sweetwater,Texas there is a bed and breakfast called Mulberry manor that was a Civil War battle hospital and later a mental hospital. Stories of footsteps,visions of soldiers and objects being moved around have been related by many people staying there.

-In Liberty,Texas there is an old historic place called the Ott Hotel. During the days when oil was king in the 30's, the town prospered as well as the 50 room inn. In the early 1990's the place was sold to new owners and a restoration project was started. Strange things began to happen such as loud banging, footsteps and doors slamming. Reports of loud arguing by a couple in an empty room have been checked on by staff only to find no one there. Guests have reported seeing figures such as a red-headed woman,a tall top-coated man, and a woman in a nightgown vanishing through a door. In one of the rooms a female guest reported a spirit figure of a man standing at the foot of her bed every evening during her stay.

What is interesting and different about this haunting is that the hotel security cameras have shown doors slamming, sounds such as arguing (man and woman)and an occasional gunshot. Visitors to the hotel have captured glowing orbs and a figure of a well dressed woman moving through a corridor. Old timers have said there was a couple shot there in the 30's following a quarrel.

There are many other places in Texas that are believed to have spirits wandering about. It would take years to visit them all but it would be an interesting journey indeed.